A site dedicated too all things craft related for kids.
kids crafts can be educational as well as fun, so why not combine both, for a wonderful time for all the family.

Thursday, 28 June 2012

Kids Craft Ideas And Kids Craft Tables

Having activity for the kids to do especially in the holidays or Christmas time is something that can be fun for you and all of the family.

There are such a plethora of things you can do, from introducing your own hobby's, in a safe way of course. Teaching the kids to paint, scrap booking, jewellery and beading are also great ideas, that are quite common, and a lot of resources for them crafts in particular can be easily found from a simple quick Google.

Also have a look at what your child or children seem to love in particular, and think of fun ways you can be part of that activity.

One of the things you may think about introducing though is their own very little kids craft table. You may have your own table at home as do I, however I found out the hard way about what damage glue can do to a table, specially trying to get it off, and who would of thought that a pair of plastic kids scissors could permanently score and damage forever fine crafted wood table, we’ll be in no doubt they can. I also have no idea what the ingredients are in such things as kid’s sodas, but they have also left marks on what was once a fine dining table.

This why I would implore you to get them they're very own craft table. For one, they now have their very own table, and it'll make them feel that little more grown up, you may even be asked to tea (if you're nice enough) They'll have plenty of room to put the assorted glues and plasticinés in their own area, and it helps to keep it all in one place too.

You will no longer have to worry about score or spills, and as I mentioned earlier, there is no chance of damage to the table, if there is, they're that cheap nowadays, you can easily replace them or look on in joy at the battle scars their craft table has accumulated.

When you are thinking about buying your kids craft table, there are a number of things to keep in mind. if you are mainly buying the table for a specific purpose, say painting, then there are tables that are available that come already inclined, this is ideal for drawing as it gives the kids something to lean on, there is normally a small place holder at the bottom to catch things such as paintbrushes and pencils too. They also normally have a couple of cup holders that can hold anything from soda to water cups to enable the kids to wash out the brushes.

Whilst a kids craft table that has an incline is fantastic for painting or drawing, that type of table is entirely unsuitable for such things as making jewellery or beading, even with the catch holder at the bottom, you can just imagine how many bits of plastic jewellery or beads are going to be scattered all around. This where you m8ight be better of getting a flat kids craft table, these come in all shapes and sizes. Ones that look similar to garden or patio furniture, these are ideal if you have multiple kids and they're ideal for the kids eating or drinking off. You also have styles that come with drawers, this again is a fantastic way of keeping the area around the table free and clear from marauding beads and jewellery.

When choosing a kids craft table you also have to take into account storage and size, and whilst I mentioned above that most if all tables are small, you do get ones that are rather larger, and are potentially space hoggers,especially if you intend to use it indoors only.

This where folding craft tables are ideal, they can easily be folded away to be put in a cupboard, which is fantastic if space is at a premium in the household, this can also be a great way of making sure the kids clean up after themselves after playtime is finished.

Special care also has to be taken into consideration though, if a folding kids craft table is to be your choice. This is due to the fact that some of the folding tables, especially those made from wood, contain metal latches. You have to take the weight of the table into consideration too. The last thing you want is one of your little ones catching their fingers in the fold.

So, you've you now decided to purchase a kids craft table, but you're not sure what activities to start with, well I have an idea for you and it's simple and fun. Paper Mache!

Paper Mache project for you and the kids

This little project is so easy anyone can do it, I even enjoy it myself. If your house is like mine, you're bound to have old newspapers lying around. to start you literally just need to tear the newspaper into strips of about two inches thick and the length of the newspaper, You then need to add two cups of water for every cup of flour, I also add about two tablespoons of salt. You then, or ideally will let the kids mix this together with a wooden spoon, just have them keep mixing until you reach a consistency and thickness like wallpaper paste. You can add more flour if the mixture is a bit thin to thicken the paste up.

You now have your paste; you now need old boxes or loo rolls, anything really. Just have the kids dip the old newspaper strips you cut up earlier into the mixture you made. Use a plastic spatula to scrape away any excess paste, and use the strips to connect the boxes and loo rolls together. Now the sky is really the limit here on what you want to make, rocket ships are a sure favorite for the boys and animal shapes or pom pom balls for the girls.

The great thing about this though, is this is where you can let your kid’s imagination run wild. What they come up with will sometimes amaze you. Everyday life objects we take for granted, they'll end up making. What’s that you ask? A guitar might be the reply, of course half the time it will look nothing like a guitar, but you'll probably vaguely remember pointing one out to the kids at an earlier time. At a young age, kids are like sponges soaking up everyday events and objects that mean nothing as you grow older, so prepare to be in wonderment at some of the ideas they come up with.

Paper macheing is such activity, but it's also a very messy activity, and you’ll certainly be glad you purchased the kids craft table now.

Well that's about it for this article, but stay tuned for some forthcoming articles in which I'll discuss other ideas and craft activity for you and the little ones, till then.